The scene of a house fire in the 4300 block of Vauxhall Crescent N.W. in Calgary on Wednesday, February 6, 2013. A woman was found dead at the scene early Wednesday morning.Stuart Gradon
/ Calgary Herald

The scene of a house fire in the 4300 block of Vauxhall Crescent N.W. in Calgary on Wednesday, February 6, 2013. A woman was found dead at the scene early Wednesday morning.Stuart Gradon
/ Calgary Herald

Members of the Calgary Fire Department work to extinguish a fire in the 4300 block of Vauxhall Crescent N.W. on Wednesday. A woman died in the blaze.Colleen De Neve
/ Calgary Herald

Members of the Calgary Fire Department work to extinguish a fire in the 4300 block of Vauxhall Crescent N.W. on Wednesday. A woman died in the blaze.Colleen De Neve
/ Calgary Herald

The scene of a house fire in the 4300 block of Vauxhall Crescent N.W. in Calgary. A woman was found dead at the scene early Wednesday morning.Stuart Gradon
/ Calgary Herald

CALGARY — Neighbours remember Cheralynn Nicholls as someone who would invite them inside to chat over a cup of tea or a meal, while her son and husband monkeyed around with cars outside.

The same neighbours watched from a distance Wednesday as flames shot from a dryer vent and smoke blackened windows of the Nicholls’ Varsity bungalow.

They were later stunned to learn Nicholls’ body had been discovered in the smouldering wreckage left by the fire.

Wiping away tears, resident Noriene Hood said the victim, who went by Sherry, was a friendly neighbour who helped Hood when her husband died in 2010.

“She and her husband came around, fixing things for me, giving me a shed to put things in when we did renovations,” Hood said, as she watched firefighters from her doorstep.

“I hope (the family) calls me. I want to be supportive.”

Someone called 911 from inside the bungalow in the 4300 block of Vauxhall Crescent N.W. around 5:30 a.m.

Firefighters tried to fight the blaze from inside the building and conduct a search of the house. However, flames had damaged the floor and compromised the structural integrity of the home, making it unsafe to stay inside, fire department spokeswoman Carol Henke said.

Crews withdrew and battled the fire from outside, cutting holes into walls to ventilate the home. Firefighters sprayed water through the holes and windows to douse the flames.

Thick smoke wafted through the area, reaching as far as Market Mall several blocks away.

A teenage boy managed to escape the fire unscathed, but Nicholls remained inside.

Shortly before 9 a.m., fire crews located Nicholls near a bedroom on the main floor. A paramedic declared her dead on scene, said EMS spokesman Stuart Brideaux.

The medical examiner showed up later in the morning as firefighters stayed at the scene to monitor hot spots.

“It’s a tragedy because a mother passed away,” said Olga Doughty, who lives nearby.

Another neighbour, Andrew Boucher, was also sorry to learn the news. He said he didn’t realize there was a fire on his crescent until he heard sirens and saw flashing lights early in the morning. When he stepped out of his home, he said, he could smell the smoke.

“That is sad to hear,” Boucher said.

It’s believed Nicholls lived with her son, who escaped the fire, and her husband, who was not at home at the time.

Samantha Boulet was friends with the Nicholls’ daughter, and recalled eating family dinners at their place.

Boulet, who lives nearby, said she messaged her friend after seeing the emergency scene. She was shaken by a brief exchange with her friend.

“They lost everything,” Boulet said late Wednesday.

She has decided to set up a trust fund to help pay for the grieving family’s expenses, and expected to release details Thursday.

Henke said the cause of the fire is under investigation. She characterized the damage as “extensive.”

“It’s such a tragedy,” she said. “Hopefully the investigation will shed light on what happened, and I hope we can prevent something like this from happening in the future.”

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